The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-11-14
Fall Flowing.

Vio 70 pow ihnu III tho NIL, VIII recur'
This. like great many other questions
In farming, Aoss not admit Of direct.
unqualified answer. Some kinds 0l
soil, under certain conditions will b.
benefited by fall blowing; other kinds
of soil, or soil under different condi.
tons, would be injured by fall blowing.
Now. what farmers want to know. Ia
just what kind Of soil will be benefited,
what injured and what conditions favor,
what oppose fall blowing.
To arrive at the desired information
10 may be we'll TO inquire In what way
may soil be benefited by lying expos
cd, in fallow, through tho winter. We
would say, in answer to the nquiryt
l. II the soil contains insects. in
the pupa state. they will be more likely
to be destroyed. il turned up and OF.
posed to the frosts OF winter. Many
species OF insects enter into the pupa
state but few inches beneath the sur
face of the Garth, relying upon the soil
and sod above them to protect them
from such degree Of frsesing as would
destroy life, II they are turned up to
the surface, most will probably perish.
2. Freezing and thawing has the
effect TO break up. pulverize hard,
heavy soil, reducing 1t to such cond-
ton that roots of plants can penetrate
IL and absorb plant food from every
particle. This is largely the great end
of tllage; to reduce tho compact soil to
SO fine filth that all Of 1t shall bs laid
under contribution to nourish crops
3 The vernal sun, with anollor Stiag,
vitalizing effects. will penetrate the
soil earlier and deeper in spring pre-.
pairing for the earlier termination Of
the seed that may be planted or sOwed,
and for sustaining an earlier vegsta-
ton. Cold. heavy, fiat land, that has
laid long in sod, will not warm upso
as to push vegetation very early, If not
plowed until spring. We remember
an instance in our experience: We had
a level piece of cold, heavy. clay land
that had been several years in meadow,
which we hired broken up in autumn.
The man broke about two-thirds of 1t,
and for some reason failed to break
the remainder. In the spring the re-
mainder was broken and all fitted and
planted to corn. The corn terminated
on the fall-plowed much quicker,
pushed right ahead, and at cutting up
looked as il 1t had nearly twice the
amount of stalks aud corn per acre
that had tho other. A head land had
N1n In h. o. A.
whole, and two or three strips back
furrowed through the part not finished,
and the corn on those strips was very
conclusive evidence of the benefit OF
fall blowing on that land.
Another benefit sometimes re-
sulting from fall blowing is the great
er destruction of weeds. Turning up
the roots Of weeds and exposing them
to freezing and thawing during vim
ter, will often weaken their vitality
considerably, il it does not entirely
destroy them. The farmer should
wage continual. unrelenting war
fare on weeds. He should study thoir
weaker points and strike At such
times in such ways as can harm thsm
most
From the considerations that we have
offered it would appear that heavy.
cold soils which have laid
ong in sod and become filled with in
,ects and weeds may by most improved
by fall blowing. We do not say that
such, even, would always be benefited,
Tor In open, rainy winters the losses
from teaching and washing might
greater than the gains from pulvsriza.
lion and other causes.
Fields with broken surfa">. steep
hillside, may by most injured by fall
blowing by the plant food being wash
I'D from hill-tOps and sides into valleys.
With the greatest care 1t is possible FOL
farmers to exercise, there 10 . constant
in low lands and valleys to
grow more fertile at the expense OF the
higher ground. Exposing such land to
ng winter and early spring, with no
'od to protect it. Is to increase that ten
iency.
Soils with loose, open texture. such
Is sandy and gravelly loans, would DO
liable to have considerable portion Of
heir more solable plant food, their
,itrates. phosphates and potash,
Washed down into the subsoil hey ond
he reach Of the roots Of growing crops
,r carried off in drains. il left from
November to May without the protec-
ion of sod. Such soils, therefore. had
better be left unbroken until just DO.
ore seeding time.
There is no little gain in the next
eason's work. where blowing can be
lone in the fall. The harrow, cultiva-
or. perhaps gang pillow. will soon fit
he ground for spring grain where ID